Spooky Pictures , Fandomodo Films Strike Multi-Year Film Deal (Exclusive)
Spooky Pictures, the horror-centric banner led by Steven Schneider and Roy Lee, has entered into a multi-year, multi-picture partnership with Fandomodo Films, the boutique film and television development, production and financing company.
The deal has a two part aspect. It will allow Schneider and Lee to mine the independent studio’s library of graphic novels it acquired in 2018 from former Relativity Media exec-turned-producer Roger Mincheff. It also aims to get Fandomodo to a point where it can greenlight three to five films every 12-18 months based on materials developed by the producers. Not every project will originate from the IP library.
All films will be independently financed by Fandomodo Films and released with Spooky Pictures. The partnership is the first substantial deal negotiated by McKenzie Van Dorne Rice, Fandomodo’s newly appointed COO.
“Steven is the master of horror, and together with Roy they have redefined what genre films can achieve both creatively and commercially,” said Fandomodo CEO Anthony Kaan. “That ability to get inside an audience’s head will be the driving force behind the upcoming slate.”
The deal comes with its first project already pinpointed. The companies are developing horror feature Sundowning with writer-director Ian McDonald (Woman of the Hour) on board and which is eying to begin production in the first quarter of 2026 in Vancouver.
The story centers on a young woman with gerontophobia who goes to work at a hospice after neglecting her dying parents. Looking for a way to redeem herself, she soon discovers that redemption may come with a cost, as the hospice hides a terrifying secret. It has been described as being a tonal cross of Suspiria and Saint Maud. It is not based on any comic book but rather a new idea by McDonald.
Schneider and Lee will produce for Spooky while Kaan and Van Dorne-Rice will produce for Fandomodo. Steve Crawford, Andrew Deane, and Spooky Pictures-Image Nation’s Ben Ross will executive produce.
Stated Schneider, “We’re always looking for projects that can surprise and capture audiences in new ways. With Fandomodo’s resources and IP, we have an amazing opportunity to deliver those experiences at scale.”
Spooky is coming off of a, um, fantastic showing at genre film festival Fantastic Fest, where the company premiered three movies, The Plague, The Vile, and VHS Halloween. Its movies also won two awards: Plague, a psychological thriller from writer-director Charlie Polinger, won best picture in the main competition while Vile, by Majid Al Anssari, won the best horror prize.
Fandomodo is currently developing Taonga, a Moari-centric drama that has James Cameron executive producing. It is also working on an untitled Calypso Project with producer/actor Carolyn Michelle Smith (The Chi).
